Obama will attempt to shrink the $14.3 trillion budget deficit by prudent savings and spending and the president is expected to release his budget request to Congress the week of Feb. 14. During his State of the Union Address, the president called for a five-year freeze on non-security discretionary spending.
While understanding Obama’s concerns about the national debt and the necessity to find avenues to seriously trim the deficit, Bordallo argued that congressionally directed spending is a constitutional right.
“The Constitution clearly gives Congress the ‘power of the purse’ and banning of directed spending gives up that authority,” said the congresswoman.
Earmarks are included in appropriation and authorization bills or in committee reports and are funds provided by the U.S. Congress for specific programs or projects from the states or territories.
“Congressionally directed spending ensures that unique needs are addressed in spending bills. We should not obfuscate our role as a Congress and leave spending decisions to bureaucrats,” said Bordallo, D-Guam.
She said if the fiscal year 2011 omnibus spending package was enacted it would have provided specific funding to some of these congressionally directed spending for Guam such as the Fishermen’s Cooperative, the University of Guam, and the Port Authority to name a few.
But Bordallo will also have to contend with Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, who recently said that all spending bills will be banned for two years for all projects that lawmakers pursue for their states.
“Despite these rules changes in Congress I expect the administration to continue to support the needs of Guam. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress and the administration to ensure our needs are addressed,” she said.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has already vowed to place a similar moratorium on all earmarks. In 2009, the Democratic Congress sent Obama legislation with $8 billion in earmarks.
